Do we need Facebook in ER?

[kcowan]

I belong and keep up with my family. Not a big problem to check in once in a while and see what is happening. Of course I am an open book on the internet as I have nothing to hide. But I do ignore all friend requests that I want to.

 

[Khan]

I've been online since mammoths roamed the web (1995 or so); I have 5 email addresses and am on twitter facebook LinkedIn friendfeed...

 

[Lsbcal]

I've been online since mammoths roamed the web (1995 or so); I have 5 email addresses and am on twitter facebook LinkedIn friendfeed...

Those text editor days looking at posts using UNIX on company workstations were memorable -- back in the neolithic computational days when fish were just moving onto land in Silicon Valley.

 

[Nova]

I received this post on FB a few days ago from a FB friend:

ALMOST EVERYONE'S PHONE NUMBERS & ADDRESS ARE NOW ON FACEBOOK!! Cell #'s too! Go to top right of your screen, click Account then Edit Friends. Go to left side of your screen, click Phonebook. Everyone's phone numbers are now published. Please repost to let your friends know this is happening so they can remove their numbers. (Privacy Settings-Phone-Customize-Only ME)--What Are They Thinking!?!

Great! I've been getting LOTS of spam texts since FB decided to "help us keep in contact". Sigh...

 

[ScottFromUtah]

I received this post on FB a few days ago from a FB friend:

ALMOST EVERYONE'S PHONE NUMBERS & ADDRESS ARE NOW ON FACEBOOK!! Cell #'s too! Go to top right of your screen, click Account then Edit Friends. Go to left side of your screen, click Phonebook. Everyone's phone numbers are now published. Please repost to let your friends know this is happening so they can remove their numbers. (Privacy Settings-Phone-Customize-Only ME)--What Are They Thinking!?!

Great! I've been getting LOTS of spam texts since FB decided to "help us keep in contact". Sigh...

It's not as bad as it sounds. First, only your "Friends" can see your mobile phone number--not the general public (You have set your privacy so that only friends can see your info, haven't you?). Second, you don't have to include your phone number in your contact information. Only about 1/3 of my friends have included their cell phone; I have not, so no one can see my cell phone number.

 

[Nova]

It's not as bad as it sounds. First, only your "Friends" can see your mobile phone number--not the general public (You have set your privacy so that only friends can see your info, haven't you?). Second, you don't have to include your phone number in your contact information. Only about 1/3 of my friends have included their cell phone; I have not, so no one can see my cell phone number.

Good news. I have my security pretty tight, I think. I don't have my phone number on FB, but a number of my FB friends do...including my grand kids. So, if I contact them (g-kids) and ask them to make their phone numbers for their friends only or "me only", will their number disappear from my friends list phone numbers? I'm still pretty new to FB. Thanks!

 

[Sarah in SC]

Only your friends can see phone numbers, not the whole world (unless you have no privacy set at all). My own preferences for these are set for "only me". Your g-kids probably have only friends set for theirs, but because you are friends, you can see them. But it doesn't hurt to ask if you want to be on the safe side.

 

[bruce1]

I've been online since mammoths roamed the web (1995 or so); I have 5 email addresses and am on twitter facebook LinkedIn friendfeed...

Do you remember the webcrawlers? Archie Jughead and Veronica?

 

[donheff]

Do you remember the webcrawlers? Archie Jughead and Veronica?

Archie and newsgroups are what attracted me to the Internet in 93-94 before the Web was extensive enough to draw much attention. I can vaguely remember doing Archie inquiries by email.

 

[kyounge1956]

Archie and newsgroups are what attracted me to the Internet in 93-94 before the Web was extensive enough to draw much attention. I can vaguely remember doing Archie inquiries by email.

Do those newsgroups still exist, or have they all morphed into something else? I am not so old a web hand as you, but I can remember when the web access through my local library was a text-based thingie called "lynx". That would have been maybe 1996 or 7...

 

[donheff]

Do those newsgroups still exist, or have they all morphed into something else? I am not so old a web hand as you, but I can remember when the web access through my local library was a text-based thingie called "lynx". That would have been maybe 1996 or 7...

Lynx was actually the earliest Web browser - it was text based. Archie, et al preceded that and preceded the Web itself. Newsgroups also preceded the Web and still exist. They are not as popular now as they used to be for discussion topics - I think have been largely replaced by blogs like ER. They are still popular for trading binary files (pirated software, porn, etc.) DejaNews archived all the old news groups and then got bought up by Google which still hosts many. My favorite newsgroup was rec.windsurfing which is still active and available as a Google Group: Discussions - rec.windsurfing | Google Groups

Edit: actually Lynx was one of the first browsers. It looks like something called WorldWideWeb, later renamed Nexus to differentiate it from the WWW itself was the first actual browser. I think Mosaic was the first "graphical" browser (you could view images, initially GIFS and later JPGs) but it was Mac only. I used an early graphical windows based browser named Cello which quickly got blown away by Netscape.

 

[mh]

Do those newsgroups still exist, or have they all morphed into something else? I am not so old a web hand as you, but I can remember when the web access through my local library was a text-based thingie called "lynx". That would have been maybe 1996 or 7...

lynx was/is just a text based (ascii terminal style) web browser
usenet news groups existed lang before that. even before the prevalent use
of tcp/ip.

You could get usenet newsgroup distribution over dialup modems via
uucp on old-timey unix machines long before tcp/ip became prevalent.

newsgroups still exist today via more modern delivery methods
e.g.. Google Groups
but their heyday has come and gone..

 

[mh]

Lynx was actually the earliest Web browser - it was text based. Archie, et al preceded that and preceded the Web itself. Newsgroups also preceded the Web and still exist. They are not as popular now as they used to be for discussion topics - I think have been largely replaced by blogs like ER. They are still popular for trading binary files (pirated software, porn, etc.) DejaNews archived all the old news groups and then got bought up by Google which still hosts many. My favorite newsgroup was rec.windsurfing which is still active and available as a Google Group: Discussions - rec.windsurfing | Google Groups

Edit: actually Lynx was one of the first browsers. It looks like something called WorldWideWeb, later renamed Nexus to differentiate it from the WWW itself was the first actual browser. I think Mosaic was the first "graphical" browser (you could view images, initially GIFS and later JPGs) but it was Mac only. I used an early graphical windows based browser named Cello which quickly got blown away by Netscape.

as don intimated. there are still niche groups out there that are quite useful
so if there was one you liked it's worth seeing it it's still vibrant..

 

[Ally]

I grudgingly use FB, but there are so many things i hate about it. I hate that my kids, my Dh, my coworkers, my bosses, my college friends and my relatives are all my "friends". What can I say that I want all these different people to know? Worlds are colliding!

 

[Major Tom]

I grudgingly use FB, but there are so many things i hate about it. I hate that my kids, my Dh, my coworkers, my bosses, my college friends and my relatives are all my "friends". What can I say that I want all these different people to know? Worlds are colliding!

It is a bit weird at first, but you get used to it.

 

[haha]

I permanently killed my account yesterday. I have too much junk to keep track of, this was just one more annoying thing. And I trust billionaire Mark 1/2 one inch.

Just say no to modernity! It mostly sucks.

Ha

 

[bbbamI]

I look at my FB page about once every 2 months. Yesterday I got creeped out when a guy sent me a long letter telling me about himself and included his picture. He wanted me to get in touch with him so we could 'get to know each other better'.

I guess I'll keep my FB account, but I'm gonna remove my pic from my profile page.

Heh...maybe I should use the pic I have on my profile page on this forum.

 

[obgyn65]

Hello Ha - the internet (and therefore this website) are part of modernity. How can you say "just say no to modernity" while having 14,000+ posts here ?

Just say no to modernity! It mostly sucks.

Ha

 

[Lsbcal]

Hello Ha - the internet (and therefore this website) are part of modernity. How can you say "just say no to modernity" while having 14,000+ posts here ?

Given internet time, we on the ER forum are in the "classic period". So Ha was right after all.

 

[steelyman]

I've managed to survive without a Facebook account, although likely most of my friends and co-workers are on it. There are three main reasons why I have (and probably will continue to) avoid it:

1. I have privacy/security questions about it, and the news pieces I've seen don't reduce those at all,
2. I would like to spend less time (not more) in front of a computer/handheld,
3. The alternate ways of communicating with people (e.g., email, text, phone, and oh my gosh a letter/card!) have been doing just fine.

So I don't think ER would benefit from trying to expand into Facebook. I think the people that are running this site (and all you contributors) do a great job just as it is.

Sometimes I think that tech "innovations" have had the effect of people communicating too fast!

 

[kyounge1956]

I permanently killed my account yesterday. I have too much junk to keep track of, this was just one more annoying thing. And I trust billionaire Mark 1/2 one inch.

Just say no to modernity! It mostly sucks.

Ha

Hello Ha - the internet (and therefore this website) are part of modernity. How can you say "just say no to modernity" while having 14,000+ posts here ?

Given internet time, we on the ER forum are in the "classic period". So Ha was right after all.

Yes. Similarly, the above-mentioned usenet groups are Ancient History, and the BBSs that came before them the Neolithic era. Before that, stone tools and bear skins.

 

[theloneranger]

I have no desire to be on the facial page.

 

[simple girl]

Although FB has it's drawbacks, the benefits far outweigh the negative parts for me. I love being able to know the little day-to-day things going on with my siblings and neices/nephews. I live far away from my family, and facebook has really helped me keep connected with them. It's not like my neice is gonna call me up just to tell me that her husband has to drive home in the snow, and she's worried about him. However, she did post that on facebook, and I was able to reply and be supportive - it's these little things that help me stay close to my family.

 

[FreeAtLast]

No Facebook here. I am content with email and occasional texting when I need to communicate some information but do not have time to call.

 

[slingshot]

Im conflicted about FB also.
My privacy settings are way high (hopefully) and I only friend (this is a verb now) people who are really my friends, not just people that I know.
It can be awkward when someone wants to friend you and you are thinking "not so much" and so you hit the ignore button for a few months before you actually hit delete.
I've been able to get info to many people quickly, as in the case when my mother was so ill before she passed.
I let all my friends know one of my show horses was for sale before I offered him to the "public".
I also sold a sailboat using FB as my first line of getting info out.
FB has it's uses, many of you connect to family, etc. But if you want to get CRAZY try Twitter.